1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sorting machine and more specifically to a sorting machine which is suited for use with a printer or copy machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A sorting machine of the type wherein a plurality of trays (bin) are immovably disposed in a fixed vertical array and the sheets of printed matter are selectively transported to a preselected tray by a suitable sheet transport mechanism, is known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,529 shows an example of such a type of sorting machine.
However, with this prior art arrangement, irrespective of the selected mode of operation the number of sheets which can be collected on any one tray is limited to the same number. Viz., during the non-sorting mode the number of sheets which can be collected is limited to the same number as in the case of the sorting and/or group modes.
Accordingly, during the non-sorting mode, when a large number of sheets are often required to be collected in a single tray, as the tray fills, the space available for subsequent sheets to be ejected and collected rapidly diminishes and the situation wherein a sheet which is being ejected into a tray tends to catch on the previously ejected one and brings about a condition wherein troublesome jamming or the like improper operation of the sorting device occurs.